Homecoming

Homecoming: one of the greatest occurrences, much less traditions, to ever take place. There are an uncountable amount of reasons why homecoming is my favorite tradition, but the top three reasons are the school spirit, the cohesiveness, and the pride. First, the school spirit during homecoming is unfathomable. The only two colors familiar to sight are yellow and black, banners and decorations cover the campus, and "MIZ-ZOU" is spelt more in one day than any word is spelt in a year. What happens if Mizzou decides to beat the number 1 ranked team in the nation? The Mizzou fans join together to rush the field in mass chaos. Along with showing school spirit, this compromise to turn the field yellow shows a bond between 70,005 red in the face Mizzou fans. Within that group of fans are alums, students, parents, faculty, and many other groups eligible of being human, or a tiger. The feeling of knowing that former Mizzou students and present Mizzou students can share an experience like beating the number one team, rushing the field, and then going on to carry the goal posts downtown is the ultimate definition of tradition. Having a tradition like homecoming gifts these versatile groups with having something in common. Each group equally enjoys the traditions of the 2 hour parade, the decorated Greek Town, the service opportunities, the tailgating, and the multiple Mizzou cheers. From personal experience, homecoming can take a lot of hard work and time commitment. Being in a sorority helped me priorly realize how big of a tradition homecoming really is. If it weren't such a big tradition then sororities wouldn't require spending money on pounds of tissue paper to pomp huge boards. Also, the res halls and campus organizations wouldn't go through the hard work of creating floats and painting the district to show their school spirit and unity. The thought of going through all of this previous labor instills a great sense of pride in the students, which is deadly contagious for any visitor. Another homecoming component that greatly contributes to the Mizzou pride is if the game ends in a victory. The streets after the game were infested with fans screaming and cheering as well as cars honking. Any Oklahoma trespasser should have kept their distance, for the pride was easily attainable. In conclusion, Mizzou's homecoming is one big tradition with many little traditions within it. Warning: it may cause chills, over-excitement, and a lack of sleep.